U.S. Navy Reviving Fleet for Latin America, Caribbean (Update1)

U.S. Navy Reviving Fleet for Latin America, Caribbean (Update1)

By Nadine Elsibai

April 24 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Navy plans to re-establish its Fourth Fleet, disbanded in 1950, to oversee ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the Caribbean and Central and South America, a Defense Department statement said.

Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, current commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, will lead the fleet effective July 1, Admiral Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, said in a statement. The fleet will be based in Mayport, Florida, coordinating efforts with the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, which also is based there.

``This change increases our emphasis in the region on employing naval forces to build confidence and trust among nations through collective maritime security efforts that focus on common threats and mutual interests,'' Roughead said.

The U.S. Navy has been planning to build up its forces in the region. Admiral James Stavridis, who oversees military affairs for Latin America, told Congress on March 6 that he backs plans to designate a new fleet, led by a nuclear aircraft carrier, to patrol the waters of the Caribbean and Latin America in support of counter-terrorism operations.

The move comes as South American nations, including Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador, boost military spending to counter tensions and protect oil reserves.

Increased Tensions

Tensions between Venezuela and neighboring Colombia rose last month after Colombian President Alvaro Uribe launched an attack on rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia hiding a mile inside Ecuador, an ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is leading efforts to counter U.S. influence in Latin America.

Rear Admiral James Stevenson, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, said the re-establishment of the Fourth Fleet will send a message to the entire region, not just Venezuela. The focus will probably be on security, he said.

The fleet could ``certainly bring a lot more stature to the area and increase our ability to get things done,'' Stevenson said in a telephone interview with reporters today.

Chavez reacted to the Navy announcement, saying on state television: ``They don't scare us in the least.'' Chavez said that ``along with Brazil we're studying the creation of a South American Defense Council.''

About 11 vessels are currently under the Southern Command, a number that will probably increase in the future, Stevenson said. The types of carriers and vessels that will be deployed is ``a matter of timing and what needs have to be addressed to the particular mission,'' he said.

Other U.S. Navy fleets are the Pacific Fleet, the Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf and the Seventh Fleet off the coast of Asia.